If you’ve been trying to fulfill your destiny in your own strength, you may as well give it up. No one has ever been able to fulfill his divine destiny through his own efforts, and you can’t do it either. The presence of God will have to change you to be what God wants you to be.
That’s exactly what happened to Saul. God changed him into another man. When these signs meet you, do whatever you find to be done, for God is with you:
And when [Saul] had turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all these signs came to pass that day. When they came to the hill [Gibeah], behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he spoke under divine inspiration among them.
(1 Sam. 10:7,9,10)
As Saul went on his way, he met that group of prophets. As Samuel had foretold, they were prophesying by the unction of the Holy Spirit. All Saul did was step into the manifested presence of the Lord that surrounded these prophets, and something began to happen to him.
Saul didn’t decide on his own to speak as a prophet. But when he walked into the midst of God’s manifested holy presence, that presence changed him so he could minister by inspired utterance.
And when all who knew Saul before saw that he spoke by inspiration among the [schooled] prophets, the people said one to another, What has come over [him, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
(1 Sam. 10:11)
More and more in this day we live in, people are saying the same thing about a lot of believers who spend time in God’s presence: “What’s come over them? They almost seem like different people!” In a sense that’s true, because these believers are in the process of being changed into the image of Jesus by the presence of almighty God.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”